What makes us special!
Bilingual Education
The BKA International School delivers fully bilingual, high quality childcare and education within a balanced framework: 50% of instruction time is in German, 50% is in English. All classes are taught by native language instructors. Both languages are present whether they are being used as the language of instruction within the classroom or being used as a vehicle of oral communication in daily interactions with teachers and friends. Our unique approach to language learning supports our students as they become bilingual while following our primary years programme. From Grade 3 students also have lessons in French. Many of our students have diverse language profiles with many children proficient in several languages.
Curriculum
We are authorised to deliver the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme (IB PYP) for children aged 4-12 years old. We are the only bilingual school in the city of Basel that offers this curriculum. The International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme (PYP) is designed for students aged 4 – 12 (Kindergarten to Grade 6). The PYP offers an inquiry-based, transdisciplinary curriculum framework that builds conceptual understanding. It reflects the best of educational research, thought leadership and experience derived from IB World Schools.
Within our Daycare and PreSchool settings we have a well designed curriculum based on best practice embracing renowned pedagogical approaches from around the world including the Early Years Foundation Stage from the UK, the Reggio Emilia inspired approach and the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme.
At BKA International School we have aligned our curriculum with the Canton Basel Stadt Lehrplan 21 curriculum documentation. Further details regarding the Lehrplan 21 can be found at the Education Department of Basel Stadt’s website.
Student Centred
We are a friendly, student centred school which provides a welcoming community for international and local families. We are the type of school where “everyone knows everyone’s name”. Our entire staff takes a very personal approach to each child and family that we serve.
Year-round Childcare
Our programme is designed to provide the best possible child care coverage to provide flexibility for families. We offer an extensive package of full year coverage. For our infants (3+ months), toddlers (18/24months-3 years) and preschool (3-4 years) we are an all-inclusive day school that provides 7am–7pm coverage which includes holiday coverage.
For our kindergarten classes (4-6 years) and primary school (6-12 years) we offer after school care and holiday coverage that provides families with 8am- 7pm coverage. We also offer additional care from 7am – 8am in our kindergarten if needed.
Diversity
We are very proud that our school celebrates diversity. By being an international bilingual school, we feel privileged that both our staff and the families that we serve represent a broad spectrum of diversity. At BKA we value the uniqueness of the individual and firmly believe that our diversity makes us a stronger community.
